Drawer Slides and Linear Guides
Sugatsune offers an extensive selection of drawer slides, and linear guides. Our drawer slides offer various materials, sizes, and extensions, including full extension and ¾ extension slides. Our expertise lies in stainless steel soft-close drawer slides, featuring ball bearings and a soft-close. This ensures quiet and smooth operation, delivering consistent and high-quality motion for all your storage needs.
The lineup of linear guides offers smooth and stable motion with versatile mounting options that can accommodate different load capacities. Some select carriages in our linear guides come preloaded for rattle elimination and are compatible with motor drive systems. Many of our linear guides offer low-friction rollers and ball bearings, versatile temperature tolerances, and chemical and flame resistance.
Whether you’re looking for an aluminum linear rail, a stainless steel drawer slide, or need a heavy load capacity , you’ll find it in our extensive range of high-performance slide, guide and rail hardware solutions, and we can help you to find the right solution for your project.
Subcategories
Customization for Specialized Applications
Whether it’s oven rack slides, workshop drawers, furniture drawer slides, battery trays, access rails, or anything else you need to move quickly, Sugatsune America can help you find your custom solutions. Our standard selection of drawer slides and linear guides can solve most of your needs, but we are always eager to solve customers’ specific problems with our technical expertise.
Reach Out to a Drawer Hardware Expert
Since 1930, Sugatsune America has been a trusted source worldwide for precision-engineered original hardware solutions. You can find a unique hardware solution, from residential or commercial architectural and furniture hardware to industrial components for industries including food, medical equipment, transportation, and aerospace. Sugatsune America is AS9120 B and ISO 9001:2015 certified and distributes unique products in our effort to create convenience and satisfaction for our customers worldwide.
Our stainless steel drawer slides and linear guides are perfect for any custom project your engineering team may need! Need other solutions as well? Explore over 6,000 products available in the United States from Sugatsune America. Please consult our digital resources, featuring extensive product literature and downloadable CAD files, or contact our team of experts to find the right solution to your creative challenges!
FAQs
What is the key difference between a Drawer Slide and a Linear Guide or a Linear Slide?
The key difference between Drawer slides and Linear Guides/Slides is their usage. What is the application usage calling for? A drawer slide is meant primarily for storage. A linear guide or a linear slide is used to perform an operation.
Purpose and Usage:
Drawer slides are primarily designed for storage applications, extend and retract drawers smoothly, such as in cabinetry, office furniture, or kitchen storage. Linear guides or linear slides are meant for precision motion control in operations or automation, such as CNC machines, robotics, and industrial equipment, where accurate, stable, and rigid guidance is required during movement.
Motion Type
Drawer slides allow telescoping motion, enabling the drawer to slide out past the cabinet face by the length of the extended slide. The movement consists of nested members sliding over each other. In contrast, linear guides provide linear motion along a fixed rail, where the carriage moves smoothly back and forth on the rail without extension or nesting mechanisms.
Load and Force Handling:
Linear guides are engineered to support high loads, including significant axial, radial, and torque forces, and maintain precise positioning under off-center or uneven loads. Drawer slides are not designed to handle substantial torque or uneven loading.
Orientation and Mounting:
Drawer slides are usually mounted in horizontal pairs at the sides of a drawer. Linear guides are more versatile, suitable for various orientations, including vertical or angled, and can be used individually or in combination for precision equipment.
What is travel length?
Travel length is the distance the inner member travels past the outer member. Travel length is measured from the leading edge to the outer edge of the mounted member.
When considering a slide, there are different travel categories:
Over-travel allows the drawer to travel past the full slide length.
Full-Extension, allows the inner member to travel the full slide length.
3/4 Extension, allows the inner member to travel 3/4 of the slide length
2-Way Travel allows for the inner member to travel both forward and backward from the outer member
Can I use your stainless steel/aluminum drawer slides in an MRI room?
No. All austenitic grade stainless steel (300 series) have very low magnetic permeability and show almost no response to a magnet when in the annealed condition. However, during the manufacturing process, cold working (rolling, wire drawing, heavy polishing, etc.) stainless steel induces magnetic permeability. After substantial cold working, 304 stainless steels may exhibit a strong response to a magnet. Hence, we cannot recommend our stainless products to be used in MRI rooms.
What are the different mounting types for ball bearing slides?
There are three different mounting types for ball bearing drawer slides.
Side Mount, which is affixed to the side of the drawer. This is one of the most common mounting types and has the benefit of bearing a higher load capacity compared to other mounting types.
Undermount, which are slides installed underneath the drawer. This creates an invisible look but has a lower load capacity compared to side mount.
Center Mount, which refers to a single slide installed beneath the drawer’s middle. This also achieves an invisible appearance, however it has the lowest load capacity of the three options.
What are the most important considerations for Product Selection when choosing drawer slides?
There are three main requirements when considering a drawer slide for your project.
Load Capacity – Do the contents of the drawer exceed the weight limit?
Travel – What type of extension does the application require?
Side clearance (profile) - Is there proper spacing between the drawer and cabinet to fit the slide?
Other considerations would include the necessity for 100% Stainless steel construction. Is this for an interior or an exterior cabinet project?
Unique features are available such as soft close, hold in detent, positive lock, and quick disconnect.
What are the different types of linear guides, and what are their typical use cases?
Linear guides are mechanical components offering smooth and controlled motion along a single axis. They may resemble drawer slides, but they serve a different purpose. Linear guides move heavy loads with high accuracy. Common types of linear guides include:
Recirculating Ball Bearing: These use ball bearings within a fixed housing for low-friction movement. Use for smooth and high-speed travel with minimal friction. Daily use cases include automated machinery, robotics, CNC machines, and factory automation.
Profile Rail Guide: They consist of a carriage that moves along a hardened steel rail. You can expect top-tier rigidity and capacity for high loads. Recommended applications include heavy-duty drawers in manufacturing, material handling, and large-scale automation, where the combination of stability and load-bearing capacity is most critical.
What are the main benefits of using stainless steel, ball bearings, and soft-close operation in your products?
Sugatsune America is dedicated to providing you with precision-engineered hardware. We focus on materials and features that deliver superior performance. Stainless steel, ball bearings, and soft-close operation in our products offer benefits across various drawer slides & linear guide applications and use cases:
Stainless Steel: Valued for its top-tier corrosion resistance, stainless steel is also durable and hygienic. We recommend it for applications where moisture or harsh chemicals are present. Outdoor kitchens, labs, marine environments, and food processing facilities are just some of the areas where stainless steel truly shines.
Ball Bearings: Precision ball bearings ensure smooth and low-friction movement. They also provide quiet motion. We recommend ball bearings for handling high dynamic and static loads efficiently. The smooth motion helps products last longer.
Soft-Close Operation: This popular feature prevents drawers or doors from slamming shut. Sugatsune America products with this feature contain a mechanism that controls the final inches of closing motion. They gently and quietly move into a closed position. Soft-close hardware also protects contents from damage. This is useful in residential and commercial applications.
